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BACK THEN; August 21, 1987

Published: September 20, 2009

GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS OF HIS ROLE, that of a poor but handsome sex-object abused by the rich women at Kellerman's Mountain House, Mr. Swayze is also good. He's even convincing when he must admit, in one of the film's lesser moments, that ''the reason people treat me like nothing is because I am nothing.'' He's at his best--as is the movie--when he's dancing.

--Review of ''Dirty Dancing'' by Vincent Canby in The New York Times. Patrick Swayze died last week at the age of 57.